- WEEK 14 RECAP -
WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X
Season 7 regular season is complete and we went out with a bang! This is my last recap as we don't do any for the playoffs (plus the Commish doesn't pay me enough lol) but there will still be previews/predictions/allstar selections and awards writeup. Busy playoff week ahead but let's recap quickly what happened. I did not catch all the games and so I will have to rely on stats info and whatever little the Commish gave me but let's get to it.
HAWKS vs WARRIORS: The get a dub at the end to finish off a dissapointing season. They have a lot of capable players and solid pieces but they are missing 1 or 2 star players which would really make them interesting to watch. Guys like Stallone, Omar, Frankie, Cole and Yanick all made impact on the games but just not consistently.
Final Score: Hawks 42 - 39 Warriors Player of the Game: YANICK HANNIBAL 12pts/8rebs/3asts/1stl/1blk - 57% Shooting
THUNDER vs ROCKETS: Undefeated season for the Thunder squad. First in ETBL and who knows if it will happen again. Rockets were not at full strength but gave it their best shot. Would love to see a rematch with both teams at full strength. Dinjiyl did what he could to keep them in it but the Thunder kept them at bay. Both will get a bye in the first round and play on March 19th. Thunder look poised to run the table.
Final Score: Rockets 56 - 68 Thunder Player of the Game: JANATH KUMAR 14pts/8rebs/7asts/2blks/0to - 54.5% Shooting
BOBCATS vs NETS: The Cats destroy the Nets and will face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Not the easiest matchup but they put themselves in this position by not closing out games and having full commitment from the start. They are the defending champs and will be confident regardless of the situation. The Nets close out their season and will have to figure out how to make the roster better in order to compete with the top teams. They have some solid role guys but the top end talent will need to improve.
Final Score: Bobcats 88 - 42 Nets Player of the Game: CHRISTIAN CASIMIER 24pts/6rebs/1to - 62.5% Shooting
KINGS vs BUCKS: The Kings shock the Bucks with a come from behind victory to steal a playoff spot away from Milwaukee. Damion Davis 3 clutch freethrows after he got fouled shooting a triple. Ice in his veins for real. 3 seconds left for the Bucks but Harrson misses the game winner and the Kings advance. Dissapointing season for the Bucks to say the least after they started off well but could not get it together the rest of the season. They have a good squad but maybe some tweaks is necessary and some practice time together. The Kings meanwhile will get the Heat in what should be a favorable matchup for them.
Final Score: Kings 49 - 48 Bucks Player of the Game: DAMION DAVIS 21pts/6rebs/2asts/3stls/1to - 2 Triples
MAGIC vs LAKERS: This is what ETBL is all about. A good squad finds themself underperforming and near the bottom of the league but they don't give up and keep working...now they are in the playoffs in dramatic fashion. The Magic win 3 in a row and sneak into the final playoff spot after it looked like all was lost. They were down 18 in this one and refused to let their season die. Anthony came up huge with 29 and showed a ton of heart. Then Ruben put on the finishing touches by drilling clutch 3 after clutch 3 including the biggest of the game with seconds left. They now get a tough first round matchup in the Pistons but they certainly have some great momentum going into the playoffs. Lakers will get the defending champs and they just made their road to the finals extremely difficult by losing this game.
Final Score: Magic 52 - 50 Lakers Player of the Game: RUBEN LOGESWARAN 21pts/2rebs/1to - 50% Shooting - 4 Triples
SIXERS vs GRIZZLIES: Great game between two solid teams and in the end we had to say goodbye to one of them. The Sixers managed to hold them off in the late stages and walk out with the victory. Mayo was very good and caps off a great season. He held this team together even when guys were in and out of the lineup and players were underperforming. They get the Cavs in the first round which will be a fun one if their previous game was any indication. Grizzlies definitely had a playoff team but injuries and other factors derailed their season. Hasan kept them in this one by lighting it up from deep as he also caps off a solid season off the bench. He led them in scoring with 22 and gave the Sixers a huge scare. Let's see if they regroup and come back stronger the following season.
Final Score: Sixers 62 - 58 Grizzlies Player of the Game: MAYO SPENCER 18pts/11rebs/3asts - 58% Shooting - 2 Triples
RAPTORS vs HEAT: Raps finish the season strong by winning back to back games. They are officially one of the biggest dissapointments in league history considering the talent they had but they never really came together as a squad until it was too late. GM Gogs will have alot to think about in the offseason. Now, as for the Heat. Yikes. Losing this game was pretty unexcusable considering the Raptors are playing with only 5 guys and how important this game was to their seeding. They would have gotten into the Top 4 and had a bye in the first round but now they will have to take the harder path to the Championship. But let's face it...there won't be a championship parade in south beach considering they can't even beat a lowly Raptors squad. 29 total points in an ETBL game is putrid and even if they were missing key contributors...it is still awful. Let's see if they can bounce back against the Kings in the playoffs.
Final Score: Raptors 38 - 29 Heat Player of the Game: TYRELL LEOTAUD 16pts/10rebs - 2 Triples
PACERS vs CLIPPERS: Pacers have won 3 in a row to end the season and get a big win against the Clippers to secure a bye in the first round. Former MVP Duzan was dynamite and really did everything in this one. This is what we were expecting from him going into the season and although he has not played at that level consistently, we all know he is capable at any given time. Too many missed freethrows for the Clips and that was the biggest difference in this one. They will also get a bye in the first round and avoid playing the Thunder till the finals so it is not all bad for them.
Final Score: Pacers 59 - 55 Clippers Player of the Game: DUZAN INDRASITHU 31pts/5rebs/4asts/2stls/1blk - 50% Shooting - 3 Triples
PISTONS vs CAVALIERS: Pistons just keep on chugging along and are once again going to be a problem for someone in the playoffs. They made quick work of the Cavaliers who were just too small for them. Big Mike with a rediculous 20pts/18rebs/8asts and 2 blocks as he looks ready to go for the postseason. Adrian could not miss...literally...same with Chris and Kendell was Kendell. Cavaliers did not have Abeku once again and losing him will probably take them out of contention. He is such a great player and there really is no way to replace his output. They are going to have to lean on the MVP favorite (Michael) to go super saiyan in the playoffs and hope Rose can be incredible as well. The rest of the squad will have to step up and do what they can to not get killed on the boards and provide enough additional scoring to try do some damage in the playoffs. Let's see if they can against the Sixers.
Final Score: Pistons 89 - 59 Cavaliers Player of the Game: ADRIAN LECLAIR 19pts/1reb/3asts/3stls/0to - 90% Shooting